BJP hoping to project 2014 election as a duel between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: India’s parliamentary form of democracy may acquire a ‘presidential’ hue for the first time, with BJP hoping to project the 2014 general election as a duel between Gujarat chief minister NarendraModi and Congress vice-president and Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi.


While political pundits say that the charisma of one leader may not be enough to pull in votes in a parliamentary system of election, they concede that various factors — such as anti-incumbency factor against the “tainted” UPA, Modi’s emphatic third successive win in Gujarat, BJP’s efforts to pitch him as a pro-development icon and mascot — may make the NaMo vs Rahul Gandhi slogan tempting and heady in the run-up to the 2014 election. Congress is finding it nearly impossible to downplay the comparison.

“There are states where BJP has not been able to register its presence. The appeal of the leader can help the party overcome this shortcoming. A president-like election will also benefit the party in the urban seats. Voters in these seats prefer a strong and credible leadership. We will be able to generate a more powerful appeal,” BJP leader and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha told ET.

HE VS HE

“Modi as an able administrator and a campaigner fighting a so-far-unsuccessful Congress prince may not be a bad campaign proposition for any party,” said another BJP leader adding that “we are also considering the anti-Modi rhetoric that pseduo-secularists may raise to tarnish Modi over the 2002 Gujarat riots”. “But I have this feeling that the worse the anti-Modi campaign the more he will gain,” he says asking not to be named. “All that character assassination campaign may boomerang. That is my belief,” he says.

While Gandhi has been made vicepresident at the Congress’s Chintan Shivir in Jaipur, the BJP leadership is slated to name Modi to the highest decision-making body of the party, the Parliamentary Board, following his hattrick win in Gujarat. Neither Congress nor BJP has announced its PM candidate. While Gandhi is clearly Congress’s choice, Modi seems to be emerging as the best bet for BJP; in the past, similar comparisons had arisen only between AB Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi, but then neither the 1998 nor the 2004 contest were centred on personalities. In the 1989 poll though there were comparisons between Rajiv Gandhi and VP Singh, it was a poll race which saw the Bofors corruption issue as the overriding theme.

FIRST AMONG EQUALS

A Congress leader, however, thinks Modi’s appeal hasn’t transcended Gujarat and he has his support mostly among ‘internet Hindus’. This leader from Kerala conceded though that “support from corporates may help him raise the pitch at the national level. But I am not sure if BJP can take on the Congress campaign machinery across the country.” At the biennial Vibrant Gujarat summit held last month, several business leaders showered lavish praise on Modi for his pro-industry approach and for setting an example of good governance at the state level. Some of those who gushed about Modi’s ‘capabilities and vision’ included the Ambani brothers. Gandhi, on the other hand, hasn’t evoked any similar sentiment from any section of Indian society — despite his repeated and drama-filled efforts to warm up to youth and the aam aadmi.

Political observers say that while the faction-ridden BJP, too, faces its set of problems over corruption — including one connected to its former president Nitin Gadkari — and various troubles across states, including in its strongholds such as Karnataka, Modi is largely perceived as above board.

“Of course, nobody thinks of Modi when they think of corruption in BJP, but everybody thinks of the Gandhi family’s inefficiency when they think of scams in the central government. Besides, there is a solid perception that Rahul is incapable of doing much,” says a Left party leader who didn’t wish to be named because the opinion doesn’t reflect that of his party. “BJP will be making a mistake if they think Modi can do in all of India what he can in Gujarat,” he adds.

CRUCIAL URBAN APPEAL

However, Modi clearly is seen as a doer and a dynamic politician despite the bad name he had earned due to his alleged complicity in the 2002 Gujarat riots. As an orator, too, he is fiery and endears himself to the masses. The contrast is inescapable. Not only is the Congress vice-president seen as taciturn, he is also perceived to be indecisive. Notably, at his first press conference after assuming the V-P’s post last month, he insisted that he wouldn’t take questions. Modi, on the other hand, is quite comfortable in handling the media and is often quick on the draw with repartees and wisecracks. Gandhi has not yet shown any indications that he has any sense of humour. Interestingly, Modi is known for his sharp wit.